Alexis Mac Allister struck in the 97th minute to give Liverpool a scarcely deserved 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, settling a tense contest with a chaotic, VAR-laden finale. The Argentinian midfielder forced the ball home from close range deep into stoppage time, only minutes after seeing a bizarre effort ruled out for handball, to leave Forest floored and Liverpool's away end in raptures.
For long stretches, though, it was Vítor Pereira's Forest who looked the sharper, more cohesive side, backing up their impressive 3-0 Europa League win at Fenerbahce with another bold performance. They had the better chances, dominated the first half and thought they had escaped when Mac Allister's first late strike was chalked off, only for Liverpool to snatch all three points at the death and move level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification.
Forest's ferocious start exposes Liverpool's vulnerability
Buoyed by Thursday's victory in Istanbul, Pereira named an unchanged XI and urged his players once more to express themselves. They responded with a blistering start that should have brought an early lead. Inside the opening five minutes Liverpool surrendered possession cheaply in their own half, Ibrahim Sangaré pounced and picked out Callum Hudson-Odoi, who got the wrong side of Dominik Szoboszlai and raced clear, only for Alisson Becker to stand tall and block the one-on-one.